Rio Olympics 2016: Staffordshire swimmer Adam Peaty wins Britain's first medal

The 21-year-old stormed to victory in 57.13 seconds, smashing his own world record for the second time in two days to scoop Britain's first medal of the Olympics and the country's first men's swimming gold in decades.

With his friends and family watching poolside and his grandmother tweeting back home, Peaty delivered for himself and for all those who stayed up into the early hours.

His time took four tenths off the world record he had set in the heats, while he beat his nearest rival, South Africa's Cameron van der Burgh, by more than a second and a half. The race was over after 20 metres.

"I touched the wall, looked to my left and wondered where everyone was," the youngster from Uttoxeter said.

"That swim for me was probably the best executed race. Coming off the Worlds last year I was a bit anxious, I wasn't aware of what it was going to be like to compete on the world stage.

"People think you need so much to become an Olympic gold medallist but you really don't. All you've got to do is put 100 per cent effort in each day. My parents have been there from the absolute start and they've kept me grounded.

"They've never once said you can't do this, they've always pushed me forward.

"We've done so much in the history of the country and I take that into every swim I do. To represent the Queen, to represent the country and the people at home is an absolute honour for me.

"London was so much to me and it really inspired me. So hopefully for the children and teenagers back home just push every day and don't give up."

Last year his exploits - when he became the first swimmer to win three golds at a single World Championships - brought Peaty into the mainstream.

This victory will shoot him into the stratosphere, another level of sporting stardom.

Four years ago, in that storied summer of gold, silver and bronze, it took Team GB five days of competition before they finally topped the podium, Peaty's dominant display has trimmed that to just two days in Rio.

And they say success breeds success - within ten minutes team-mate Jazz Carlin had doubled the medal tally with a 400m freestyle silver behind peerless American Katie Ledecky.

Peaty's world record in the heats set the tone but too often other swimmers have peaked too soon, the adrenaline surging out of control with the emotion of the occasion and the lactic acid and cruel reality kicking in just when it isn't needed.

But Peaty was too cool, too calm and too collected for all that. He strode as purposefully to the podium as he swam in the pool - and you could forgive his swagger, belting out the national anthem too.

Peaty's journey to this moment has been seven years in the making, as long as Rio has had to prepare for the Games.

And coach Melanie Marshall has been at the heart of that success.

"She one of the best coaches in the world. She understands every athlete's need but she didn't need to get me pumped up. Down that last 50m I knew I was winning," he added.

"Me and Mel thought the best possible race we could do in this meet was 57.3 so 57.1, I had to slap myself after that race. It's incredible.

"We operate in a different way, we push forward every single day. Some days we are going to be beaten down, some days we are not going to perform but it just shows that we are going to bounce back. We are always pursing excellence.

"I want to push the boundaries in the next cycle that no one else has done before. Saying that, we're obsessed with self improvement, obsessed with pushing Team GB forward.

"I never want to stand on the blocks as Team GB and not give it 100 per cent.

"This next cycle is all about restarting, enjoying it for the first couple of years maybe and then getting a home run for the next Olympics."

So a wait of nearly three decades for a British Olympic men's swimming gold medallist is over.

Peaty is just 21 - you have to think we won't have to wait quite as long for our next podium swimmer.